Which means that 237 members of the House of Representatives oppose the Performance Rights Act. Five more members signed up — enough to beat by 10 the number of members in the 109th Congress that supported the broadcast position.
The tipping point for passing a measure in the House is 218 votes.
NAB’s Dennis Wharton said, “NAB salutes these members of Congress for recognizing the important role played by radio stations across America. From promoting music to providing airtime for important public service initiatives, radio broadcasters reach an unparalleled audience of 235 million listeners every week.”
Nevertheless, Wharton urged broadcasters to stay on the case, saying, “While the growing bipartisan opposition to RIAA’s performance tax campaign is certainly welcome news, we are encouraging radio broadcasters to remain steadfast and continue educating lawmakers on this important issue.”
The Local Radio Freedom Act is a resolution opposing the imposition of “any new performance fee, tax, royalty or other charge” on radio for music airplay, which puts it in direct opposition to the Performance Rights Act.
The most recent to endorse LRFA are Christopher Carney (D-PA), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA).
RBR/TVBR observation: There’s still no word on a PRA hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It’s not on the schedule yet, meaning committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will have about a month to work with between the July 4th break and the August summer break.
